War windfall fuels the Kyrgyz boom

A worker looking out from the future Royal Tower, under construction in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on April 28 this year. Much of the country’s newfound wealth has gone into real estate. — Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times

AS the sound of drilling echoed around him, Mirlan Akzhigitov approached an architectural model of a 27-floor building with a toy helicopter perched on the roof. He turned around and beamed.

“The first skyscraper in Kyrgyzstan, in Kyrgyz history,” Akzhigitov joked, pointing out the penthouse he plans to call home once the building, the luxurious Royal Tower, is finished later this year.